Otto Pérez Molina

Otto Pérez Molina served as president of Guatemala from January 14, 2012, until his resignation on September 3, 2015. His administration was defined by major corruption scandals uncovered by the UN-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. In the La Linea case, Pérez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti were accused of leading a customs fraud network that collected approximately 3.5 million dollars in bribes to allow businesses to bypass import duties. Following mass protests and the lifting of his immunity by Congress, Pérez Molina resigned and was arrested in September 2015. In 2022, he was convicted of racketeering and customs fraud, receiving a 16-year prison sentence. He was acquitted of illicit enrichment charges in this case. In 2023, Pérez Molina pleaded guilty to separate charges of money laundering, fraud, and corruption related to receiving millions in bribes for over 70 government contracts, resulting in an additional eight-year prison sentence. He was released on bond in January 2024 after serving time in custody since his 2015 arrest. Outside of these convictions, he has faced historical allegations of involvement in human rights abuses, torture, and genocide during the Guatemalan civil war, though these have not resulted in formal convictions related to his presidency.